Ryan Blaney 26th different All-Star winner

FORT WORTH, Texas — Ryan Blaney’s victory in the 2022 NASCAR All-Star Race marks the driver’s first win in the race in his seventh start.

Blaney was just a few hundred feet away from claiming the checkered flag before the caution flag displayed for a Ricky Stenhouse Jr. accident on the backstretch of the final lap.

NASCAR’s rule in the All-Star Race called for the race to finish under the green flag. Blaney had to redo his window net while driving around under caution, having his team help him out over the radio. Then, he had to thwart off a charge from Denny Hamlin in a two-lap dash to the finish.

“We were cruising there and I just wanted to get to the white to have it covered and then the caution came out off of four,” Blaney said. “I thought it was like any other race. That rule was never kind of relayed to us. I already took my window net down and everything.

“My left arm is worn out from trying to get that damn thing back up. I got it rigged up enough to where it halfway stayed. I appreciate NASCAR for not making us come down pit road to fix it and letting me get it clipped back again to where we could stay out there.”

Blaney is the third different All-Star winner in the last three years (Kyle Larson in 2021, and Chase Elliott in 2020).

Denny Hamlin was second, Austin Cindric was third, Joey Logano was fourth and Daniel Suarez rounded out the Top-5 finishers.

HISTORY
Eight drivers have won the All-Star race multiple times.

Jimmie Johnson has the most All-Star victories with four. Dale Earnhardt and Jeff Gordon won three each.

Davey Allison, Kevin Harvick, Terry Labonte, Kyle Larson and Mark Martin each won the non-points race twice.

SOURCES
Racing-Reference.info